The Week Ahead

• The Hornets begin the 2023 season when they host the three-day, four-team Sacramento State Invitational on Aug. 25-27. Two games will be played Friday, two more on Saturday, and two on Sunday.
• The four-team tournament field consists of Sacramento State, Cal Poly, Iowa and Nevada. All four teams will play three times during the event.
• Games will be played at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, and game times Sunday are 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• Sacramento State will play the late match all three days, including Friday at 7 p.m. vs. Nevada, Saturday at 7 p.m. vs. Iowa, and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. vs. Cal Poly. The Hornets will open the season vs. Nevada for the second year in a row - Hornets beat the Wolf Pack, 3-1, at the 2022 Sacramento State Invite.
• Other tournament matches include Iowa vs. Cal Poly at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nevada vs. Cal Poly at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and Nevada vs. Iowa on Sunday at 11 a.m.
• This will mark the fifth straight non-COVID shortened season the Hornets will begin the year with a home tournament. Sacramento State opened the 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 seasons with home tourneys. This year, the Hornets will host a tournament each of the first two weekends of the season.
• Records for each team from a season ago: Cal Poly (17-13), Sacramento State (15-15), Nevada (14-15) and Iowa (10-21).
• Sacramento State series records against this week's opponents: the Hornets are 37-14 vs. Nevada, including 22-3 when playing at home. The Hornets have played Iowa just once (a 3-1 SAC road victory in 1997). Iowa has never played the Hornets in Sacramento. The Hornets are 6-11 vs. Cal Poly, and have lost four straight to the Mustangs. The last Hornet win in the series was a neutral site matchup in 2007.
• Sacramento State was 7-5 at home a year ago, and is 19-9 on Colberg Court dating back to the 2021 season.
• The Hornets have a veteran-laden roster that includes 13 returners. In fact, Sacramento State returns six starters and its libero. The Hornets lost just two players from a year ago, which includes their starting setter Ashtin Olin.
• Over the last eight seasons, Sacramento State has combined for a 90-41 Big Sky Conference record (.687 winning percentage), and a 56-9 home record against league foes during that span.
• The Nest has received another big upgrade. Prior to last season, the venue got a paint job and new lighting. Last month, the facility received a brand new video board and scoreboard. The video board is much larger than its predecessor, and is wider than the volleyball court. Also making its debut will be brand new press tables with video display capabilities.

Multimedia Options

• All six matches at this week's tournament will be video streamed on ESPN+ with the combination of Brian Berger and Will Schilling handling the announcing duties.
• All of Sacramento State's home matches this year, as well as road games at a Big Sky Conference venue, will be streamed on ESPN+ for the third straight season.
• Matches on ESPN+ can be found on watchespn.com and the ESPN app.
• Live stats will also be made available for every match of the tournament.
• A home page has been set up for the tournament on the volleyball page at hornetsports.com where direct links to all video and live stats links can be found.

Wrapping Up The 2022 Season

• Last season, Sacramento State posted a 15-15 overall record, 10-6 in the Big Sky Conference, and 7-5 at both home and on the road (1-5 neutral floors). The Hornets have finished 10-6 in league play each of the last three seasons.
• The Hornets reached the semifinal round of the Big Sky Tournament, losing to eventual champion Northern Colorado, 3-2 (15-11 in the 5th set). Sacramento State beat Montana in four in the quarters.
• Sacramento State had four players named all-Big Sky Conference. That includes a pair of first teamers (outside hitter Bridgette Smith, middle blocker Kalani Hayes) and a pair of second teamers (middle blocker Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin, setter Ashtin Olin). Olin is the only player not back among the four.

New Face At Setter

• Hornet fans will see a new face at the starting setter spot for the first time in six years. Ashtin Olin, who took advantage of an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, has started at setter for the Hornets each of the last five seasons. In fact, Olin is a five-time second team all-Big Sky selection.
• Sacramento State could run a 6-2 offense this season, and three setters are battling in preseason practices for those two spots. That includes returner Savannah Risley, a true freshman a season ago.
• The other two setters were both midyear transfers from a year ago in Hailey Plugge (Wichita State) and Kate Doorn (Idaho). Both have yet to play indoor volleyball in a Sacramento State uniform, but did play for the Hornets' beach team in the spring.

New Addition To Coaching Staff

• Sacramento State has added a familiar face to its coaching staff. Aven Lee is back for her second stint as assistant coach. Lee, who has 21 years of coaching experience, also coached for the Hornets in 2015 and 2016. Sacramento State combined to go 46-19 overall, and 25-7 in league during those two years.
• The rest of the Hornet coaching staff remains the same, including head coach Ruben Volta, and assistants Ed Jackson and Sarah Chlebana. All three played for, and graduated, from Sacramento State. Volta and Jackson are members of the Sacramento State Men's Volleyball Hall of Fame while Chlebana was a four-year starter and two-time all-conference selection for the women's team from 1997-00.
• A new rule was recently implemented by the NCAA allowing volleyball coaching staffs to have three assistant coaches. In the past, only two were permitted.

Notables

• Among this years returners are starters at outside hitter (Bridgette Smith, Caitlin Volkmann), middle blocker (Kalani Hayes, Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin), rightside hitter (Ellie Tisko) and libero (Caty Cordano). Also back are outside hitter Greta Davis (17 starts a year ago) and rightside hitter Karlee Soderberg (started first three matches last year before getting injured).
• Sacramento State will play 30 matches during the regular season, including 16 at home. The Hornets open the season by playing seven straight at home. That includes this week's matches, as well as the Hornet Invitational (Sept. 1-2) and a non-conference tilt with Saint Mary's (Sept. 4).
• Over the last eight seasons, Sacramento State has combined for a 90-41 conference record (.687 winning percentage), and a 56-9 home record against league foes during that span.
• The Hornet roster features 16 players, comprised of six seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and two freshmen. The roster breaks down to five players that could see time at outside hitter, four middle blockers, four right sides, three setters, and three defensive specialists.
• This past weekend, former Hornets Angela Lewis (1996-99) and Sandra Bandimere (2001-04) were inducted into the Sacramento State Volleyball Hall of Fame. The two players helped the Hornets to a combined six NCAA Tournament appearances, six Big Sky Conference regular season championships, and five Big Sky Tournament crowns. They are the 25th and 26th players inducted.
• Bridgette Smith is just 135 kills shy of 1,000 for her career. Caitlin Volkmann could also reach the 1,000 kills milestone this year. She needs 314 kills to reach the mark, after posting 311 a season ago.